Pumpkin Spice Latte
by SnowboundMermaid
Summary: Barney makes the right call when he texts the wrong person...
1. Chapter 1

New York, 2017

"Tell me everything." Lily plopped into the overstuffed chair opposite Robin in the golden light of a late September afternoon, latte mug in hand and peered at her with undisguised fascination. "I can't believe you went on a MatchMeCupid date. How did it go? Did you like him? Did you get lucky? Are you going out again?"

Robin took a sip of her own drink and licked a drop of whipped cream from her upper lip. "It was great."

Lily set down cup and saucer. "Uh oh. Great means not great. What was wrong with him? Too old? Too young? Smelled like socks? Lives with his mom? Showed you pictures of his weird collections of things grown men shouldn't even know about?"

"Nothing like that. He's forty-one, divorced, no kids. Works in finance. Boyishly handsome, sharp dresser, smart, funny; are you seeing a trend here?"

"Did MatchMeCupid set you up with _Barney_?"

Robin shook her head. "No. That's the only thing wrong with him. My date's name was Bernie Simpson, and I swear I thought it was Barney running a play until the guy walked in the door. He took me to a magic club, and then a cigar bar. I spent half the evening terrified that Barney was going to show up, and the other half disappointed that he didn't."

Lily sprang out of her seat and moved next to Robin on the tufted orange couch. One arm draped about Robin's shoulder. "That sounds like a horrible date."

"It was, but going out with Bernie made me realize two very important things. I'm not ready to date again, and I'm still in love with Barney."

The high-pitched squeak that escaped Lily's tight-clamped lips drew more than a few heads in their direction. "Are you sure? The divorce was final six months ago and you guys haven't even seen each other in almost a year. Well, he doesn't miss a single newscast and if Facebook stalking counts, you guys are practically back together."

Robin let out a long breath. "Believe me, I've tried putting all those feelings behind me, but they aren't going away, no matter what I do. I'm going to be the crazy dog lady who dresses them all in matching outfits for every holiday and-" She broke off at the sound of an incoming text and dug her phone from her purse, then blinked twice at the caller ID. "It's Barney."

Lily's eyes grew wide. "Ooh. What does he want?"

The text consisted of only one word. _Coffee_?

"He wants to have coffee."

Sharp nails dug into Robin's upper arm. "Tell him yes. The timing is perfect. It's a sign from the universe. Why else would he text you out of the blue the day after you went out with a guy who is basically him anyway?"

_Sure_. _Where_? Robin hit send before she could talk herself out of it. "Happy now?"

Lily's satisfied smile bordered on a smirk. "Yes. I'll be happier when he texts you back."

"If." The correction came to Robin all too quickly. "If he texts me back."

"Nope, it's when. Trust me." Lily's mouth tilted into full on smirk at the sound of the next metallic chirp. "That was fast. Fast is good."

_My desk_.

Okay, that was weird, but at two in the afternoon on a Thursday afternoon, he'd be at work. Her pulse skipped. "I feel bad about bailing on you when you only just got here."

Lily's nose scrunched. "Are you kidding? Any time I get to leave the house without at least one kid in tow is like a mini vacation. I am going to sit here and drink both of our coffees, maybe even get a bear claw. I have a juicy novel all set on my e-reader, and you're going to call me with all the details when you two come up for air." She finished with a wide grin and propped her feet up on the coffee table.

"Lil, he's at work. Nobody's going to come up for air. He probably wants to talk about," she paused there. His entire side of the conversation was comprised of three words, the longest having only two syllables. Not a single clue anywhere in there. "Something."

"And since when has Barney had a moratorium on office sex? I know you two. Now, you go up to that counter, you get two coffees to go, hail a cab and have fun storming the castle. Then call me. Seriously. No matter what happens."

Robin gave in to Lily's bone crushing hug and hauled herself from the couch. "I will." Maybe the universe did give signs after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Barney closed his eyes against the glare of his computer monitor and pinched the bridge of his nose. Any more of this, and he'd start seeing double. He switched his focus to the pile of legal pads and printed documents that covered his desktop, a rainbow of sticky notes plastered over most of the papers. The flash of the red light on the intercom system caught his attention.

He pressed the button to open the line. "Robert, what's the ETA on that coffee?"

There was a moment of silence before his assistant answered. "There's a Robin Sherbatsky to see you, Mr. Stinson. She has coffee."

Barney bit back a curse. _Damn new phone_. "I'll come out." He pushed away from the desk and shoved both hands through his hair. _Stupid_. Rob_ert_, Rob_in_. He shrugged into the suit jacket hung on the back of his bathroom door and tightened the knot on his tie. Three deep breaths and four strides later, he gripped the polished brass doorknob. _Now turn_. He had to repeat the order twice before his hand would obey.

Once he did, breath left his body. There she was, brown hair, blue eyes, red sweater and white shirt, cardboard tray with two cups in hand. She offered a tentative smile, berry stained lips curving up in guarded welcome. "Hi."

"Hi." _Now what_? Introductions. He could do those. "Robin Sherbatsky, this earnest young man is Robert Morgan, my assistant. Robert, this is Robin Sherbatsky, my ex-" The glare Robin shot him stopped him right there. "Tremely complicated relationship. Hold my calls." He turned to Robin. "Want to come in?"

She strode past him, the smile fading from her lips. A mottled red flush rose high on her cheeks. "Your assistant's name is Robert," she said in a dull monotone as soon as the click of the door latch sounded. "You wanted him to get your coffee."

Barney rubbed at the back of his neck. "It's a new phone. I only looked at the R-O. I apologize for making you come all the way over here, but I'm glad," he paused for a deep whiff of the steam that drifted from both cups. "Is that pumpkin spice?"

Robin extracted one cup from its holder and held it out to him. "You can stop with the puppy dog eyes. Take the coffee. You look like you need it."

She didn't need to ask him twice. Their fingers brushed, and a current of warmth coursed up his arm. "Thanks. I do. Quarterly reports are killing me. What do I owe you?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "My treat. You look busy. I should go."

"No, stay. I could use a break. I'm starting to see double, which is not a good thing where numbers are involved. It really is good to see you, and you did agree to have coffee with me already."

"You thought you were asking your assistant." Even as she said the words, Robin slipped out of her oversized sweater and settled into the visitor chair as she'd done hundreds of times before.

She did have a point, but he could still turn this around. He had to. "Yes, but you're the one who actually brought it. Why did you bring it?"

Robin's flush deepened. Her head dipped, ponytail swishing over her shoulder. The ends reached below her breasts.

"Wow, your hair got long. _Hot_." He took a sip of coffee to keep himself from saying anything else. "I love you." _Well, that didn't work_. The words jumped from his tongue of their own volition. "I mean super hot. Really." He gave himself a mental smack to the head. _Shut up_. _Stop talking_. _Drink coffee_.

Robin arched one brow. "Are you talking to me or the coffee?"

Barney seized his chance for a quick recovery. "Coffee. I was talking to the coffee. Midafternoon slump." The hot brew burned his throat. He didn't care, as long as he didn't dig himself in any deeper. "I'm still in love with you." His free hand clenched into a fist. _Damn_.

"Was that for the coffee, too?"

"Pumpkin spice is both delicious and seasonal. Easy to atke it for granted when it's available every day. Then one day, it's gone, and you realize you didn't properly appreciate how warm and sweet and spicy it is, until you can't have it anymore. Sure, there are other flavors; eggnog, peppermint mocha, even apple cinnamon. That sounds like it should be almost the same thing, but it isn't."

Robin cleared her throat. "Barney?"

He heard his name, but he couldn't stop. Nearly a year of not seeing her, not talking to her, not touching her. Months upon months of walking around with half a heart and half a soul piled on him and he couldn't bear the weight. "Even regular coffee can't do the same job it used to do, no matter how much coffee you drink," he closed his eyes for half a heartbeat. "Or how much coffee you order but don't drink because pumpkin spice is the only flavor that's ever going to satisfy that craving."

Robin took the cup from him and set it on the desk, along with her own. "You're not talking about coffee anymore, are you?"

"No, I am not."

Her arms threaded about his neck, nails scratching along his scalp as she tilted his head toward her. Her mouth closed over his. Pumpkin spice, he decided, was definitely his favorite flavor, now and forever. He cupped the back of her head in one hand, working the clasp that held her hair free. His other hand slid over the familiar curve of waist and hip, to find the comfortable haven of her back pocket. "Remind me why we're divorced again?"

Robin leaned into his touch, molded herself against him. Purred at the evidence of his body's intent. "I have no idea." She slid both hands down his chest, grasped his lapels and peeled his jacket away. The empty garment dropped to the floor.

"Mr. Stinson?"

Barney lunged for the intercom and pressed Robert's button. "I said no calls."

"You asked me to remind you to leave by three if you want to make it to your brother's game."

JJ's game. Right. "Thanks. Got it." He closed the connection and turned a sheepish look on Robin. "My little bro's a jock."

"I thought he was all about basketball."

"He is. He bulked up over the summer; we lift together on Saturdays. Can you believe he's sixteen already? Crazy. It's his first time starting. I promised him I'd be there."

Robin fished her hair tie from the floor and put her hair back in order, looping it through the tie and combing through with her fingers. "Then you should go. Family comes first. We can get coffee another time."

"I'd like that. What days are good for you?"

She flicked her hair back behind her shoulder. "I'm not doing anything on Sunday. We could maybe get brunch and talk?"

Barney retrieved his jacket and shook it out. "Sunday's good. We could go for brunch, or, or-" the idea seized him as he threaded his arms through the sleeves. "I could take my best girl to the most badass high school football game in Westchester County. Probably victory pizza after, because JJ's a beast, but that's an hour, two tops. Then we catch a redeye to Vegas, find the tackiest wedding chapel on the strip, retie the knot and never leave our hotel room until Sunday night." He held his breath and waited for her reaction.

Robin's mouth curved up at both corners, slow and steady, sending an undeniable warmth spreading through him. "I like your idea better."

"We should, um, probably get counseling when we get back. James and Tom's guy is fantastic. If he can fix them, he can fix anybody."

"We should do that. We should do all of that."

The look of pure adoration Robin shone at him cut those last lonely months away, as though they'd never happened. Still,doubt clawed at his racing heart. "Just like that? No 'Barney, this is crazy, we've already failed at marriage once and barely spoken to each other in a year?'"

Robin closed the distance between them in two quick steps. "Pumpkin spice," she said in a husky whisper. "When you know, you know."

"I do know," he answered, and, in that moment, he did, deep and true and sure. He picked up both cups and headed for the door. "Best coffee ever."


End file.
